Rotary duplicator



Dec. 17, 1929. c MORRSON 1,740,195

ROTARY DUPLICATOR Filed March 7. 1928 s Shets-Sheet l lNV TOR BY Mia M,

TORNEY Dec. 17, 1929. c. E. MORRISON ROTARY DUPLICATOR Filed March 7, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 17, 1929. c. E. MORRISON ROTARY DUPLICATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet Filed March l928 mv TOR AQTORNEY BY 6W Patented Dec. 17, 1929 PATENT OFFICE CLARENCE E. MORRISON, OI ALBANY, NEW YORK ROTARY DUPLICA'I'OR Application filed March 7, 1928. Serial No. 259,842.

This invention relates to rotary duplicating machines, and the object of this invention is to produce an effective, simple, and comparatively inexpensive machine for printing postal cards and the like, feeding them auto-' matically; which may also be used to impress sheets of paper fed in by hand; in which the press roll will be automatically withdrawn from operative relation to the stencil after each impression is made, and locked in such withdrawn position-until released; in which the feeding forward of a card or sheet of paper will automatically withdraw the locking member and so permit the press roll to be moved into operative relation to the stencil and against the work; in which the ink pad and stencil will constantly be under tension longitudinally, and in which the usual stencil securing knobs or hooks may be omitted, and the head end of the stencil secured in place without being perforated.

A further object of my invention is to provide a safety device adapted to prevent blocking of the machine, when feeding automatically, should an overthick card be included in the pack being worked on, or in case two cards stick together and move as one; and to provide a safe, simple and inexpensive means whereby the stencil-carrying cylinder may be held in a desired adjusted position, as for the purpose of inking.

The manner in which I have accomplished my objects is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved rotary duplicator.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of same. I

Fig. 3 is a detail showing a press roll hanger forced downward by the cam on one of the cylinder trunnions, against the tension of the press roll carrying springs (not shown); normal working position of some parts indicated by dotted lines.

Fig. 4 is'a detail section as along the line 33 on Fig. 1, a number of cards and a weight being shown in place in the magazine space; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing the machine with card-feeding and magazine parts removed and the device adjusted for the printing of sheets which are fed by hand.

The same reference characters refer to the same arts throughout the several views.

Re erring to the drawings, A and A represent the side frames of the machine, which are here shown'as being joined together by means of the crossbars a", a and a In upwardly projecting portions of these side frames are Journalled the trunnions of the stencil carrying cylinder 0, said trunnions extending through and beyond the journals, each carrying one end of a helical press roll supporting tension spring D, the other end of saidspring D being secured to the lower end of a press roll hanger E or E in and between which is supported a press roll F, which the springs D are adapted to carry and draw into working contact with the cylinder C. a

To the end of one of these trunnions is secured a crank and handle H whereby the cylinder may be manually rotated, and to the other trunnion is secured a crank I, which is connected through a link K to a reciprocating card feeding mechanism adapted to feed cards, one at a time, from the bottom of a pack lying ahead of the member L secured to and the central portion thereof spaced from the platform M, and the members N N N and N adjustable on said platform and with, the member L defining a card magazine.

The feeding mechanism comprises a platelike member P. carried by an arm P at right angles to the guide rod P reciprocable in bearing member P secured to the platform M (or to the side frame A) and being pivotably connected at P to the link K.

On the member P is formed a square edged shoulder P which is adapted to contact with the rear edge of the bottom card of a pack lying in the magazine space as illustrated in Fig. 4. The depth of the shoulder P is slightly less than the thickness of the cards it is designed to engage.

As thus arranged each revolution of the cylinder C will cause the member P to travel through a complete cyclemoving forward, engaging, and feeding forward the bottom card of the pack, then returning to a position where'the pack can drop and the next card lie in the path of the shoulder P It is obvious that the shoulder could be omitted and the forward edge of a plate be utilized instead. To the platform M, at a point where it will lie under the forward edge of the cards in the magazine, I secure a leaf s ring R, the forward free end whereof is 0 set upwardly and lies beneath the member L. This spring R will normally hold a card being forced forward by the member P up against the under side of the member L, which is here shown as being reinforced by a square edged piece L secured to its under side, and which is ada ted to act as an abutment to prevent the orward movement of any but the bottom card of the pack.

The spring leaf R is adapted to hold the forward edge of the card being fed forward up against the bottom of the part L but to yield sufficiently to permit a card slightly'heavier than usual to pass, and is preferably so proportioned tthat it is possible to depress same sufficien to permit two cards to pass should they cling together and manage to enter the space beneath the member L.

In devices of this type it is advisable that the press roll be withdrawn from working position during a portion of the rotation of the stencil-carrying cylinder, and I have devised an extremel simple means for accomplishing this. s above described, the press roll is mounted in hangers E and E which are carried by the springs D. The hangers E and E are slidable in ways formed on the inside of the side frames A and A the upper ends thereof contacting with cams S formed or secured on the they are depressed and so block their upward movement, a handle lever t, assists the turning of the shaft T so as to bring the pieces t and t into locking position and provide means whereby thepress roll may be manuallyreleased. Secured in and projecting upwards from' the shaft T, through a slot in the platform M into the path of the work is a pin or trigger it",

trunnio'ns of the cylinder C, the cams S be- 1 ing so proportioned that the high spots thereon will force the hangers downward and hold them down, at the desired point in and for the desired part of the revolution of the cylinder, the press roll of course dropping with them.

It is also desirable in machines of this kind that the press roll be prevented from coming into operative relation to the stencil on the cylinder until such time as the work is between the press roll and the cylinder. In my improved machine, I provide means for automatically blocking the return of the press roll whenever it is forced down by the cams S, but which will be withdrawn and so rendered inoperative whenever a card or a sheet of paper is fed forward into position to be engaged by the press roll.

These means are here shown as consisting of a shaft T journalled in the side frames A and A mounted on which are projecting pieces t and t (here shown as machine screws) adapted to swing in over projections on the hangers E and E whenever which the work in moving forward will shove out of its-way, causing it to rotate the shaft T and so withdraw the parts t and t from the path of the projection on the parts E and E thus allowing these parts, and the press roll to move upward under the urge of he springs D as soon as the high points on the cams S have passed from contact with the upper ends of the press roll hangers. It is obvious that should no work be fed forward, either by hand or by the reciprocating card feed, the trigger will not be forced back and the parts t and t will remain over the projections on the press roll hangers and so prevent the press roll from moving upward into operative relation to the stencil-carrying cylinder.

' A top guide Vpivoted on the trunnions of the cylinder C, is held slightly above the table. An opening formed in the table allows the trigger t to come up through the table in rear of the guide. When a sheet of paper is to be printed it is inserted under the guide V, and in so doing, trigger t is tripped unlocking the lever t and as cam S on the head of the cylinder changes position by rotating, this allows the platen F to come up into contact with the cylinder C, the trigger a being moved rearward to the position indicated by dotted lines in Figures 3 and 4. The guide V is not required when cards are being printed, and is thrown back to the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, but when the card feeding and holding parts are removed to make ready for feeding sheets of paper by hand, the guide V is thrown over to position shown in Figure 5.

The stencil-carrying cylinder has an opening in the periphery thereof, as is usual; and the shell of the cylinder is perforated to permit ink being applied to the ink pad from inside.

Each end of the ink pad 20, which I employ in this improved device is hemmed so as to leave a tunnel into which a bar may he slipped. The bar 21, through the head end of the ink pad 20, is here shown as being secured to the cylinder C by inserting the ends thereof under clips 22.22, formed on or secured to the cylinder. The opposite end of the ink pad 20 is slippedover a bar 23, the epds whereof are secured to tension springs 24, 24, which are in turn secured to the cylinder heads. The springs 24, 24;, will thus keep the ink pad 20 (and the stencil 25) under con stant tension longitudinally.

Ill)

The head end of the stencils used with this type of duplicating device have attached thereto a strip of tough, comparatively stiif paper, and through this strip of paper are usually formed openings adapted to pass attaching knobs or hooks formed on the cylinder for the purpose of securing the head end of the stencil to the cylinder. This general method of securing the stencil throws all of the strain upon a comparatively small portion of the total length of the strip, and at times the fastenings will tear out under the strains to which they are subjected.

In order to avoid concentrating the strains upon a few points in this end strip, and to do away with any necessity for perforating itin order that it may be easily attached, I have devised a method whereby the securing of the stencil to the cylinder is considerably simplified.

This method consists in forming a narrow but deep groove in the cylinder, at the point where the head end of the stencil is to be attached, this groove lying and extending substantially parallel to the plane which the end of the stencil is to occup when in place. This groove is shown as being formed by bending a sheet of metal back upon itself, leaving space between the parts for the insertion of the end of the strip of heavy paper on the end of the stencil proper. The end of the stencil is then bent back upon itself and entered in the aforesaid groove, then carried around the cylinder and its free end wrapped over and in under the end of the ink pad and the rod or bar which is supporting same, an afterwards fastened by means of suitable spring clips (26) (see Fig. l and Fig. 4).

I claim:

1. In a rotary duplicator comprising a frame with a feeding table and a stencil-carrying cylinder mounted thereon; a press roll adjacent said cylinder and journalled in carriers vertically reciprocable in said frame, springs normally forcing said hangers upward to carry the press roll into operative relation to said cylinder, and a locking mem ber adapted to automatically move into position to block the return of said hangers after being forced downward by' said-cams, and to be moved to an inoperative position by the feeding forward of'a piece of work.

2. In a rotary duplicator comprising a frame with a feeding table and a stencilcarrying cylinder mounted thereon; a press roll adjacent said cylinder and journalled in carriers vertically reciprocable in said frame, springs normally forcing said hangers upward to carry the press roll into operative relation to said cylinder and a locking member adapted to move into the path of and behind said hangers after they have been forced downward and to block the return thereof until it is withdrawn from said path, a portion of the member when in looking position frame with a feeding table and a stencilcarrying cylinder mounted thereon; a press roll adjacent said cylinder and journalled in carriers vertically reciprocable in said frame, springs normally forcing said hangers upward to carry the press roll into operative relation to said cylinder and a locking member adapted to move int the path of and behind said hangers after they have been forced downward and to block the return thereof until it is withdrawn from said path, a portion of the member when in locking position projecting above the feeding table and into the path of the work and whereb the work in passing will actuate said loc ing member and withdraw it from the path of said hangers.

4. In a rotary .duplicator comprising a frame with a feeding table and a stencilcarrying cylinder mounted thereon: a press roll adjacent and parallel to said cylinder; springs normally forcing said press roll into operative relation to said cylinder; means for positively overcoming the normal action of said springs and withdrawingthe press roll from the cylinder and holding it withdrawn during a part of each revolution of said cylinder; and a locking member adapted to secure said press roll in withdrawn position and normally gravitating. to operative position each time said press roll is so withdrawn, a part of said member being d thereby projected into the path of the work so that the feeding forward of a piece thereof will move said part and cause the locking member to assume an inoperative position.

v 5. In a rotary duplicator, in combination with a feeding table, a stencil-carrying cylinder, and a yieldingly mounted press roll: a plate on said table; means whereby the rotation of said cylinder will impart a reciprocating movement to said plate; means for defining a magazine space adapted to hold a stack of cards in and/or over the path of said plate; an opening beneath the forward part of said defining means adapted to pass cards one at a time; means for withdrawing said press roll from operative relation to said cylinder during a part of each rotation thereof; and means for automatically locking said ress roll in withdrawn position, said lock- 1 mg means adapted to be moved to an inoperative position by the feeding forward of a card as under the urge of the forward movement of said plate.

6. In a rotary duplicator, in combination with a feeding table, a stencil-carrying cylinder, and a yieldingly mounted press roll: a plate on said table with a card driving shoulder formed thereon; means whereby the rotation of said cylinder will cause .a reciprocating movement of said plate; means for defining a magazine adapted to hold a stack of cards over and/or in the path of said plate, and in front of the card driving shoulder thereon when the plate is at the end of its backward movement; an opening at the bottom of the forward part of said defining means adapted to pass cards one at a time; means for withdrawing said press roll from operative relation to said cylinder during a part of each rotation thereof; and means for automatically locking said press roll in withdrawn position, said locking means adapted to be moved to an inoperative position by the feeding forward of a card as under the urge of the forward movement of said late.

7. n a rotary duplicator, the combination with a frame having a feeding table and a stencil-carrying cylinder mounted thereon, of a press roll yieldingly supported arallel with and adjacent to said cylind dr and normally lying in operative relation thereto; means whereby said press roll will be withdrawn from operative relation to said cylin der during a portion of each rotation of the cylinder; means for automatically locking said press roll in said withdrawn position, said means adapted to be moved to an inoperative position by the feeding forward of a piece of work, and means for preventing the Work from being forced upward during its forward movement.

8. In a rotary duplicator, the combination with a frame having a feeding table and a stencil-carrying cylinder mounted thereon, of a press roll yieldingly supported parallel with and adjacent to said cylinder and normally lying in operative relation thereto; means whereby said press roll will be withdrawn from operative relation to said cylinder during a portion of each rotation of the cylinder; means for automatically locking said press roll in said withdrawn position, said means adapted to be moved to an inoperative position by the feeding forward of a piece of work; means for defining a card a holding magazine space on the feeding table; and means for automatically feeding forward the bottom card of the pack lying in said magazine space each time said cylinder is rotated.

9. In a rotary duplicator, the combination with a frame having a feeding table and a stencil-carrying cylinder mounted thereon, of a press roll yieldingly supported parallel with and adjacent to said cylinder and normally lying in operative relation thereto; means whereby said press roll will be withdrawn from operative relation to said cylinder during a portion of each rotation of the cylinder; means for automatically locking said press roll in said withdrawn position, said means ada ted to be moved to an inoperative position the feeding forward of a piece of work; means for defining a card holding magazine space on the feeding table; and manually operable means whereby the cylinder may be secured in adjusted position.

10. A method of securing the front end of a stencil sheet to the stencil-carrying cylinder of a rotary duplicator, and consisting in forming a narrow and deep groove longitudinally 1n the cylinder the depth of the groove lylngin a plane substantially parallel to that to be occupied by the stencil when in place,

turning the end of the stencil back upon it-' self and inserting the turned back portion in the groove.

11. A method of securing a stencil sheet in place on the cylinder of a rotary du licator and over the ink pad secured in plaice thereon, and consisting in forming a narrow and deep groove in the cylinder longitudinally thereof, the depth of the groove substantially parallel to the planewhich the head end of the stencil is to occupy when in place, turning the end of the stencil sheet back upon itself and inserting the turned back portion in the groove, then laying the stencil around the cylinder and wrapping the free endthereof around and in under the end of the ink pad, and thereafter clamping 1t thereto with spring clamps.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

CLARENCE E. MORRISON. 

